EVE Online

EVE Online is a sci-fi themed MMORPG where players fight in the distant future for control of the galaxy of New Eden as part of one of the major rivalling factions of the region. Players can level up, acquire resources, craft or purchase new ships and fully upgrade them with items to best suit their playstyle, whatever that may be, as EVE Online offers a full sandbox experience where players can play the type of role they wish to and engage in their preferred types of features whether resource gathering, crafting, or battling in Faction Warfare. The game offers a free to play account version as well as a subscription based model, allowing players to test out the main gameplay of the title before committing to a sub and accessing all of the game’s features.

EVE Online offers a persistent galaxy of open ended content where players can realistically choose their role and goals in the games; whether they want to focus on being an independent mining ship and work hard to build up some customers, or forming a Corporation (guild/clan) that concentrates on building up a client base and focusing on crafting or trade, or even join a pirate outfit that plunders the space-lanes for unsuspecting travellers; it is all possible in EVE Online. Players do not need to focus on PVP or combat at all, with a variety of PVE missions focused on exploration and transporting goods, but at some point players will all feel the effects of battle.

PVP FOCUS

The galaxy of New Eden is a perilous one and players will find no safe zones when going about their tasks or simply traveling from system to system; rival faction players can attack each other at any point and if successful loot all the items a player is carrying. Whether performing PVE Missions or simply trying to mine asteroids or transport items, players must always be wary that enemies can strike at any time. Some high-security areas (high-sec) are protected by CONCORD, which act as a deterrent against “illegal aggression”, such as attacking innocent players, where AI ships will appear to try and take out any criminal players; for some pirate players the risk of a lucrative cargo on an innocent’s ship is worth the risk! Much of the PVP takes place in the Faction Warfare system where the four factions and their members/Corporations fight for control of territory by controlling different systems in the Galaxy, showing a constant shift in the power balance of all of New Eden.

CLONE STATES / FREE TO PLAY ACCOUNT

As of the Ascension Expansion EVE Online now provides two types of accounts; a full subscription based “Omega Clone” version or the free to play “Alpha Clone” account. Alpha Clones get restricted access to the game, only able to acquire 21 of the 326 unique ships EVE Online has to offer, players are offered a standard training speed and a 24 hour skill queue which limits advancement but still makes the game fully accessible; even in Faction Wars a lower level player can still have a role to play in a battle of hundreds of ships!

SUBSCRIPTION MODEL

EVE Online offers an original subscription model in the form of its “Pilot’s License Extension” (PLEX), an in-game item that when used will add subscription game time to an account and all characters on the account (turning Alpha Clones into Omega Clones). PLEX is originally purchased using real-world money, but as it is an item it can be sold in game for game currency (known as ISK) giving an approved method of converting cash into game currency. At the other end this means that players who actively play the game and have built up a lot of ISK can buy PLEX from other players, effectively paying for their account subscription using in-game currency as opposed to real-world cash.